Romualdez also said the Palace should submit the draft bill to Congress for immediate scrutiny of lawmakers.

“Hanggang ngayon wala pa kaming draft bill, pero based on review of the annexes, we are looking for the possible infirmities or inconsistencies with the Constitution. Kasi sa tingin natin, based on a perusal of the annexes, ’yung mga ibang provision diyan hindi talaga makakapasa ng test of constitutionality kung hindi aamyendahan ang Constitution natin ngayon,” Romualdez, also the Philconsa president, stressed.

Earlier, Philconsa chairman Manuel Lazaro said some provisions of the proposed measure may be unconstitutional.

Lazaro questioned at least six points in the Bangsamoro Basic Law, two of these include the absence of the power of Executive to bind Congress and Judicial departments — unless the Executive believes Congress and Supreme Court (SC) are its lackeys and the proposed wealth sharing as this seems not to be legal and a clear highway robbery.

Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte Jr. said the leadership of the House of Representatives is still awaiting signal from Malacañang when it is going to submit the Bangsamoro Basic Law of which the delay, could affect its timely passage as Congress enters its third week of sessions since resuming last May 5.

Belmonte said he has yet to receive a copy of the draft bill from the Bangsamoro Transition Commission to create the new Bangsamoro juridical entity replacing the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) as a result of another peace talks being pushed by the government with the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).